South Africa is the perfect destination to enjoy a relaxing holiday in an unparalleled natural environment. There are wellness centres of the highest calibre throughout the country offering personalised beauty treatments inspired by local cultural traditions.
The Western Cape province is renowned for having some of the most beautiful vineyards in the world, and also for its vinotherapy treatments. Spas offer massages, exfoliants and wellness rituals using the grapes grown in the region. The antioxidant properties of the grape are an excellent remedy to detoxify the body and cleanse the skin, as the polyphenols contained in the seeds counteract the negative effects of free radicals, which are responsible for skin ageing.
The Constantia Uitsig Spa has developed a wine treatment called ‘Uitsig Arômes du Vin’, a body treatment that harnesses the aromatic components of one of the best wines in South Africa. The grapes are pressed along with the bark of the vine to prepare a skin exfoliant treatment. After the exfoliant, an invigorating massage is applied, scented with the essence of Constantia Uitsig wine.
Santé Winelands Hotel & Spa in Drakenstein Valley offers an 80-minute spa circuit covering a variety of vinotherapy treatments, which, among other therapies, includes a sauna session, exfoliation and a body massage with Merlot grapes.
For those who prefer a lavish vacation in close contact with nature, why not indulge in the experience of a massage at the Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge situated in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve next to Kruger National Park, where you can pamper yourself with a luxurious wellness experience after a day of safari and exciting adventures.
Guests can indulge in treatments and massages with aromatic oils from the sun loungers in their suite while looking out over the spectacular African savannah. The Earth Lodge is home to the Amani Spa, where guests can enjoy an extensive range of holistic body, skin and beauty rituals, treatments and massages that make it an oasis of peace and beauty.
In Mpumalanga, on the banks of the Mabrak River, the Ulusaba Safari Lodge features Boma Aroma Spa, which offers wellness treatments using locally-sourced natural ingredients including Rooibos, Aloe, Marula and African Potato. The Shaman’s Healing Journey is an amazing way to reduce muscular stress and balance the body’s energy with a rose quartz and Amethyst crystal body massage.
Further south, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, Fordoun Hotel & Spa boast a team of skilled therapists, Reiki and Bio-energy specialists and a traditional African Healer, Dr Ndlovu, who is a specialised Inyanga (herbalist) and Sangoma (diviner), who transmits the ancient traditional wisdom to guests and also personally maintains a garden with more than 120 species of medicinal plants. The hotel’s spa offers a wide range of internationally inspired aromatherapy treatments using exotic blends of essential oils including a Rasul Bath (a steam bath where the body is treated beforehand with mineral mud) and the African ritual of the Inkomfe (African potato) healing wraps.
